Ouch! My big toe on my left foot has really flared up. Not knocked it or anything and everything points to gout. Very very painful, hard to stand on. Anyone with any experience of it and remedies they can offer me? Got the Voltarol on and taken painkillers. Only takes the edge off. Drinking lots of water too.

Somethingfishy wrote:Ouch! My big toe on my left foot has really flared up. Not knocked it or anything and everything points to gout. Very very painful, hard to stand on. Anyone with any experience of it and remedies they can offer me? Got the Voltarol on and taken painkillers. Only takes the edge off. Drinking lots of water too.

One attack and that was in January 2014. The pain is horrendous and I'd suggest getting an appointment with your doc just as soon as you can because the sooner you are on medication then the sooner it will settle down. I was given Naproxen.

You need to get a diagnosis about it, mine did the same some years ago and I assumed it was gout. Turned out to be arthritis.

Which would require different treatment/medication.
Good luck with it anyway.

Best thing for Gout?

Red wine, port, stinky cheeses; lots of high-living.

If gout you have my sympathy, I had a serious attack in the big toe joint and pain was excruciating! Doctor also prescribed Naproxen (same as Tony above), nothing else touched it!!

Somethingfishy wrote:Ouch! My big toe on my left foot has really flared up. Not knocked it or anything and everything points to gout. Very very painful, hard to stand on. Anyone with any experience of it and remedies they can offer me? Got the Voltarol on and taken painkillers. Only takes the edge off. Drinking lots of water too.

I used to get bouts 2 or 3 times a year when I was massively overweight. At the time the best thing I found was cherries. Also holland and barrett do a cherry juice you add to water. For me it did relieve the symptoms. Everyones different. My advice...if you need to lose weight lose it as once you have had it you are only evee one indian curry or a duck dish away from another attack.

Family member uses Naproxen for relief. Herbal wise cherries. Long term you may need medication.

I get gout regularly (hereditary rather than high-living). Keep it elevated and iced, drink lots of water, lemon juice in the water if poss, eat cherries, take Ibuprofen, drink even more water, go see a Doc ASAP.

The most effective gout tablets I've been prescribed are Indometecin - colcecine a close second.

Hope it subsides soon, it's terribly painful!

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/ ... e-60060313" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lord Beamish wrote:Best thing for Gout?

Red wine, port, stinky cheeses; lots of high-living.

This.

With chips...lots of chips.

And dark rum.

Suffered with gout for a few years but now take allopurinol prescribed by my doc and not had an attack since

Allopurinol daily to prevent build up of uric acid crystals, Indometacin to blast it out when it occurs, good luck.

Cheers guys. Fantastic advice. Managed to wangle a docs appoitment later this afternoon. Hobble my way there. Mrs been told to bring home some cherries

On Allopurinol daily for rest of my life - never had a single attack in last 5 years since doing this

Indomedecin for short term but immediate relief.
Long term, Allopurinol works for me.

There's no gout about it

Can't beat a bit of gout. The pain is worse than childbirth. You'll probably need a blood test to measure your uric acid levels.
I'm on Allopurinol which allows me to maintain my unhealthy lifestyle. Attack free.

An update. Been to the docs and she thinks it is an early case of gout. Certainly not full blown as i allowed her to touch my foot without being in too much pain. She stressed if it was full blown i would have jumped off the chair. A 3 day course of colchecine tablets prescribed. If not any better to go back. She says i did right going as soon as i have. Mrs brought home some cherries too

Vitamin C
Cherry juice - the proper stuff
Lots of water
Rest your foot high up
Colcochine- get a prescription

Colcochine it will be gone by the morning.

Absolute bloody agony...................doc said it’s the make equivalent of giving birth!

Allopurinol for me.............

Go to Holland and Barretts and get some concentrated montmorency black cherry juice and take it with a glass of water each morning.It clears my gout up quickly..It not cheap about 12 quid a bottle but it goes a long way.

Somethingfishy wrote:An update. Been to the docs and she thinks it is an early case of gout. Certainly not full blown as i allowed her to touch my foot without being in too much pain. She stressed if it was full blown i would have jumped off the chair. A 3 day course of colchecine tablets prescribed. If not any better to go back. She says i did right going as soon as i have. Mrs brought home some cherries too

I did think when u mentoned hobbling there that it wasnt full blown. No chance of even putting a blanket on it at night never mind walking. Hope if it is due to certain lifestyle choices it gives you a wake up call and just cut back a little. Really not worth over indulging for the pain. Also once the uric acid crystalizes they never really leave your system. Always there just waiting to crystalize on your joints

The Enclosure wrote:Go to Holland and Barretts and get some concentrated montmorency black cherry juice and take it with a glass of water each morning.It clears my gout up quickly..It not cheap about 12 quid a bottle but it goes a long way.

Posted the link for that earlier. Used to have that every day and really did keep it at bay. Luckily over the last 2 years I have dropped 7 stone and not even had a pain from it. Also used to suffer with plantar fasciitis a lot which was painful. Still wont touch an Indian though as all it takes for me is one spicy indian curry and I am bed bound for a week

Like others allopurinol everyday for the rest of my life. I’ve some great pictures of one of my attacks which look like photoshop as the joint is so big. Proper gout attack would probably mean being incapable of thinking straight enough to ask the question on here, you’d be in casualty!

Remember gout treatments are not exempt from prescription charges if you pay. Also I had to be show regular gout attacks before they prescribed. My GP said 2 in a month. After 4 attacks in 2 years and no prescription I manufactured a reoccurrence to satisfy the requirements.
There is normally a trigger activity or food, I sussed that so tried to avoid it hence the infrequent attacks. They still kept coming so I just triggered another to get the meds, no attacks since in 2 years.

Cleveleys_claret wrote:I did think when u mentoned hobbling there that it wasnt full blown. No chance of even putting a blanket on it at night never mind walking. Hope if it is due to certain lifestyle choices it gives you a wake up call and just cut back a little. Really not worth over indulging for the pain. Also once the uric acid crystalizes they never really leave your system. Always there just waiting to crystalize on your joints

If this is just the early stage I dread to think what it is like full blown. A real warning shot across my bows. Starting to feel a bit better..i can at least move my toe a bit now and it's not throbbing. Hope it is better for Saturday.

I started s couple of years ago with the odd attack in my toes. It then spread to my knees and ankles. At this point the pain was unbelievable and I could hardly move. My last attack was two days before going to Olympiakos last year. Hobling through the home end outside the ground being eyed up for a kicking by their ultras but I think they thought I had already had one and left me alone.
I'm now on Alapurinol for life and the frequency of attacks are less frequent.
Good luck

Always starts bad.....but soon becomes horrendous if left untreated. I tried all the herbal ****, cherries, apple cider vinegar etc. None really worked. Now on allopurinol for life. Works like a charm. Colchicine if I feel a gout flare approaching. The trick with this is to get it down you quickly as soon as you feel the tell tale twinge informing you that you will soon be unable to walk for a few weeks! I jest you not....I would not wish gout on my worst enemy. Well....perhaps one or two.

Somethingfishy wrote:An update. Been to the docs and she thinks it is an early case of gout. Certainly not full blown as i allowed her to touch my foot without being in too much pain. She stressed if it was full blown i would have jumped off the chair. A 3 day course of colchecine tablets prescribed. If not any better to go back. She says i did right going as soon as i have. Mrs brought home some cherries too

You did the right thing getting into the doc as soon as you could. The longer you delay it, the longer the attack lasts without medication and you will know just how bad the pain is. Don't hesitate to go back if it doesn't improve as it should, and get back as soon as you can.

Someone mentioned Allopurinol - apparently if you take that it does keep it away but you need to take it every day. They wouldn't give it to me because it was my first attack and, to be fair, it was Jan/Feb 2014 and it's not come back, yet.

Got it for the first time in my life about 4 weeks ago...started with pain in the big toe on my left foot..I thought it was a bunion but couldn't get any relief at all from Voltarol and the like..or paracetemol.Over a few days the pain spread right across the ball of my foot and up the two toes next to my big toe...I could hardly walk and pressing in the clutch when driving was virtually impossible .I eventually hobbled to my GP who immediately diagnosed gout and she blamed it on dehydration saying that she had had a lot of new cases this summer...her husband has it and he's only 31 so it's not necessarily an age thing .She prescibed Naproxen ( mentioned in another post ) which is an anti- inflamatory which seems to have done the trick but it doesn't do my guts any favours.I've got to have a blood test to check uric acid levels BUT she didn't seem too bothered about booze...just said try to have TWO alcohol free days a week...FIVE out of SEVEN I can adapt to BUT I hope its not going to come back very often because its bloody painful and I sympathise with my fellow travellers.

I had a gout attack 4 years ago whilst on holiday in Spain. Supping virgin Malaga and Jamesons brought it on, along with a high protein diet of fish, chicken and shakes over the years.
I have fortunately never had an attack since although I take regular medication. I am prescribed Allopurinol 300mg and have recently started chopping them in half to limit my dose has they can damage your kidneys

Foreverly Claret wrote:She prescibed Naproxen ( mentioned in another post ) which is an anti- inflamatory which seems to have done the trick but it doesn't do my guts any favours.

For the life of me I can't remember what it was called but when I was prescribed Naproxen I was also given something to avoid the stomach problems.

Just a word of warning to all who use Allipurinal.I suffered gout for years sometimes got it in three or four places at once and on a regular occurrence too.It was that bad I became an outpatient for a full year at hospital and the end product after trying everything was put on Allopurinol for life.Three years ago I was diagnosed with kidney cancer having one and half removed.And I'm convinced it was through taking the drug.Im not saying this is 100% the case nor it would do for most people but my advise is maybe if you do take it cut it down to every couple of days or go for periods without it and see how you get on.On a footnote since my diagnosis and having to change my lifestyle around I've only had two flare ups since.

Try Nettle tea, have 1 teabag in half a cup of hot water 3 or 4 times a week and its should keep it away, if not take it 7 days a week then reduce back when cleared up. I've done it for some years now and it rarely comes back. I use Nettle tea with Peppermint from Sainsbury, its about £1.70 / 20 teabags, ( sometimes its 2pkts for £3 ) you can also get it from Holland & Barrett. Nettle tea isn't too pleasant so the peppermint helps its taste. Needles to say keep away from the foods that are high in Uric acid but you should be able to drink as normal. Hope that helps.

ClaretTony wrote:For the life of me I can't remember what it was called but when I was prescribed Naproxen I was also given something to avoid the stomach problems.

Lanzosparol ?

ClaretAL wrote:Lanzosparol ?

No idea what it was

ClaretTony wrote:For the life of me I can't remember what it was called but when I was prescribed Naproxen I was also given something to avoid the stomach problems.

Usually Omniprazole.....think its to stop it the toxicity effect which naproxen can cause. Prevents or reduces the risk of ulcers and gastric issues

Cleveleys_claret wrote:Usually Omniprazole.....think its to stop it the toxicity effect which naproxen can cause. Prevents or reduces the risk of ulcers and gastric issues

Bang on, that was it.

Ptangyangkipperbang wrote:Just a word of warning to all who use Allipurinal.I suffered gout for years sometimes got it in three or four places at once and on a regular occurrence too.It was that bad I became an outpatient for a full year at hospital and the end product after trying everything was put on Allopurinol for life.Three years ago I was diagnosed with kidney cancer having one and half removed.And I'm convinced it was through taking the drug.Im not saying this is 100% the case nor it would do for most people but my advise is maybe if you do take it cut it down to every couple of days or go for periods without it and see how you get on.On a footnote since my diagnosis and having to change my lifestyle around I've only had two flare ups since.

After suffering for 3 years with attacks every other month I was told I was going to be put on that Allopurinol long term. After much research I read many similar stories to yours and thought at 37 there was no way I was going to be put on something for the rest of my life. At the same time I also was suffering from the lesser one of the diabetes. I made a lifestyle change.....dropped 7 stone and then went back to doctors 2 months ago after not visiting for 2 years. Did my bloods and no longer at risk of diabetes. When diagnosed I was put on metphormin but told it could be reversed if I made the right changes to my lifestyle. For me this meant stopping working away from home and living in pubs and kebab shops and taking a pay drop to work much more local. I am actually better off though now as I dont waste my money on drink every night and late night kebabs

ClaretTony wrote:Bang on, that was it.

Its because of the special coating which is on naproxen pills

I also suffered from gout. The last attack was seven years ago which left me hospitalised for 5 days. Doctor said colchesine was no longer any good for me. He told me I had to take Allopurinol for the rest of my life or I could end up in a wheelchair. Regarding some of the earlier posts I too think I may be doing damage to my kindeys only because I always seem to have a dull pain inside me. I have started to reduce my dosage(without my doctor's consent) and I do feel a little better. It's like being caught between a rock and a hard place.

rayzer wrote:I also suffered from gout. The last attack was seven years ago which left me hospitalised for 5 days. Doctor said colchesine was no longer any good for me. He told me I had to take Allopurinol for the rest of my life or I could end up in a wheelchair. Regarding some of the earlier posts I too think I may be doing damage to my kindeys only because I always seem to have a dull pain inside me. I have started to reduce my dosage(without my doctor's consent) and I do feel a little better. It's like being caught between a rock and a hard place.

If you read some of the journals and studies and patient cases many have done similar to you and reduced their dosage slowly with the correct lifestyle choices and ended up coming off them all together. Good luck and hope you are imagining the dull pain

Anything you can do to help your kidneys function properly like stopping smoking, eating healthy, 2 litres of water a day and not more as too much water can stop them functioning properly and exercise help the kidneys get rid of the uric acid build up before it travels to.your joints.

claret wizard wrote:Like others allopurinol everyday for the rest of my life. I’ve some great pictures of one of my attacks which look like photoshop as the joint is so big. Proper gout attack would probably mean being incapable of thinking straight enough to ask the question on here, you’d be in casualty!

Remember gout treatments are not exempt from prescription charges if you pay. Also I had to be show regular gout attacks before they prescribed. My GP said 2 in a month. After 4 attacks in 2 years and no prescription I manufactured a reoccurrence to satisfy the requirements.
There is normally a trigger activity or food, I sussed that so tried to avoid it hence the infrequent attacks. They still kept coming so I just triggered another to get the meds, no attacks since in 2 years.

Does this mean your prescriptions are now free.? I've had four attacks on the last year, am on medication for the rest of my life but am still paying for my prescriptions.

Longsider wrote:Does this mean your prescriptions are now free.? I've had four attacks on the last year, am on medication for the rest of my life but am still paying for my prescriptions.

Dont think you get free prescriptions for Gout. Although it may be worth having a test done for diabetes and playing on the symptoms of that as if you are a diabetic all your prescriptions for everything are free

Longsider wrote:Does this mean your prescriptions are now free.? I've had four attacks on the last year, am on medication for the rest of my life but am still paying for my prescriptions.

Only specific conditions qualify for free prescriptions.

One of the benefits of living in Scotland. Free prescription.

Cleveleys_claret wrote:Dont think you get free prescriptions for Gout. Although it may be worth having a test done for diabetes and playing on the symptoms of that as if you are a diabetic all your prescriptions for everything are free

Mine are free, but only because of my hypothyroidism means I qualify for free prescriptions. So yes, I have a drug cocktail to take everyday with differing requirements. Bit of a nightmare. Yes, aware of some of the stories out there.

My doc prescribed Viagra to help keep the bed sheets off my toes at night

CombatClaret wrote:My doc prescribed Viagra to help keep the bed sheets off my toes at night

It's horrendous in bed, I had to sleep with my leg on top of the duvet for a while.